1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to modular structures and, more specifically, to a modular structure configured for commercial activity.
2. Description of the Related Art
The traditional branch location for many financial institutions—such as credit unions, banks and the like—have typically been in dedicated buildings. In metropolitan areas, some such institutions rent space in the lobbies of office buildings as branch location. In metropolitan areas, many institutions will open branch locations in the lobbies of large office buildings. However, rental of lobby space in metropolitan areas has become increasingly expensive.
Due to the ability for customers to execute online transactions, full size financial branch locations are not always necessary. Many routine transactions are now executed online and customers can usually acquire small amounts of cash from automatic teller machines. Nonetheless, there are still many functions that require (or with which customers prefer) face-to-face interaction with institution officers. Such functions include: meetings with bank or loan officers, setting up new accounts, making cash deposits, etc. While institutions want to minimize the costs associated with operating branch locations, they still need such locations to execute these functions.
Many institutions operate several locations distributed throughout a given area—often more than is actually required to meet immediate customer need—for increased customer convenience and increased visibility to the public. While the customers of a financial institution would prefer many branch locations distributed throughout a city, operating costs increase substantially as more branch locations are opened. As a result, financial institutions limit the number of branch locations in order to control costs.
Therefore, there is a need for a commercial structure that allows an institution to operate many dispersed branch offices at a reduced cost.